If a sitting president dies, resigns, or becomes incapacitated, there is no pause, no special election, no vacuum. The vice president is sworn in as president as quickly as possible, inheriting the full powers of the office. In a Trump presidency, that means JD Vance would immediately become commander in chief, free to keep Trump’s team or quietly replace it with his own loyalists.

From there, the clock would start on Vance’s political future. Under the 22nd Amendment, if he served more than two years of Trump’s remaining term, he could seek only one additional election. If he served less than two years, he could run for two full terms, potentially reshaping American politics for up to a decade. Through it all, elections would continue on schedule, and the machinery of government would keep turning, designed to make even the gravest moment feel almost routine.